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Homer by homer, Davis' power on full display

4/4/13: Chris Davis opens the scoring with a two-run home run in the top of the second to give the Orioles an early 2-0 lead over the Rays

By Brittany Ghiroli
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MLB.com |

ST. PETERSBURG -- Orioles first baseman Chris Davis hit his third home run in three games Thursday afternoon, continuing his torrid pace to start the 2013 season. And according to Elias Sports Bureau, he's the first player with three or more RBIs in each of his team's first three games.

Davis, who has homered in nine of his last 10 regular-season games dating back to last year, said the ability to play every day over a full season was huge in his development as the 27-year-old has found a starting spot with Baltimore.

"[I] learned a lot about myself as a player, what it took for me to get ready every day," said Davis, who played in a career-high 139 games last year, hitting a team-leading 33 home runs. "And I pride myself on working hard in the offseason, obviously weight-training, and did a few other things to try to sharpen some other tools, [like] speed.

"At the end of Spring Training I felt comfortable in the box. The ball I hit against the Mets that last day was probably a telltale sign, drove the ball the other way. That's usually when I'm going good. So, I'm not going to read too much into it, just keep doing my routine and hopefully keep swinging the bat."

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Davis joins Frank Robinson (in 1966) as the only players with home runs in each of the first three games of the season for the Orioles/Browns franchise since 1920.

Davis, who has 11 RBIs, has been so locked in that Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon joked following Wednesday's game that the team was not going to pitch to him, but rather just roll it in. And while he was not walked, Davis did take a pitch to the right leg in his second at-bat Thursday in the fourth inning.

"I'm not a big believer in changing a lot of things," Davis, who was acquired in a midseason trade with Texas in 2011, said of his approach during a hot streak. "The biggest thing for me is to keep the consistent approach and stay positive. The game is hard enough as it is without us having to make it any harder.

"One of the things I learned going up and down in the Rangers' system was, there were times when physically I felt good and mentally I just wasn't there. Whether it was I wasn't being aggressive enough or I was being too aggressive. I think I got in my own way sometimes. I was able to learn from that and thankfully not have it be the end of me."